Weight controlled seismographic combustion deflection



May 9, 1950 w. R. STINNETT WEIGHT CONTROLLED SEISMOGRAPHIC COMBUSTION DEFLECTION Filed Jan. 21, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet l a INVENTOR. AR. Sn NNETT.

HTTOIPNEY. l

May 9, 1950 W. R. STINNETT WEIGHT CONTROLLED SEISMOGRAPHIC COMBUSTION DEFLECTION 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 21, 1944 V WWW T. M w VN ..r mm w T 2m fi w Patented May 9, 1950 507,230 WEIGHTfCdNTRLLEDEISMOGRfiHiC COMBUSTION DEFIJECTION William Ross stinne ttyDallas, Tex. fipplicatiiinfiahiiary 21, 1944;"Sriii1'ho. 51911-16 5 Claims.

I Theinvention i'elate's'to a meansandmethod or f eoritronmg combustion deflections in the 'art of seismic prospecting. I V

the art of seismic prospecting the usual proee'dtireis to drill a bore hole, deposita'charge of'eriplbsive therein and detonate such charge so as to stupdeflectioris or Wave vibrations in the earth which wave vibrations are transmitted through the earth-as a'fun'cti'on of'the particular earth "format-ion and reflected and refracted thereby "so that detection of 'the waves "of 'defieetions permits of a determinatlon'of' the nature of theiearth formations.

'Itisimperativethatthe greatest possible force within certainlimits be set up to cause such deflections but in the past 'a' considerable amount of the force of the explosion has been dissipated by passingup the bore hole rather. than being directedinto the earth formations. Thepresent invention contemplates a means and method whereby the resistance to travelling of the deflections up the bore hole is greater than that presented due to the earth formations so that the deflections seeking a path of least resistance will be directed into' the earth formationsrather than being dissipated up the bore hole. V

v It is one of the obj ects, therefore; of the invention'to'provide a combination anchor and discharge tool 'for seismic explosives so that the inertia of .thea'n'chor tool will ten'd'to direct the force of't'heexplosiondotvnwardly and outwardly mt the'iearth formations. H V v therob'ject of the'inve ntion'is. to'provide a w htinerliber approximating'a weight of some rite totenithoh'sand'poundswhich can be lowered into ajborehole and placedfdirectly "abovejan ei'fpl'osive charge so that the -weight fbfjthlfij tool is available to resist the transmission-prince 1 the 'ex'plosion "upwardly through the bore hole.

Another object of the invention is-to p'rovide acomhination drilling tool and removable casing for 'seismic exploration bore holes. 7

f Afnot'her object of the invention is to p'r'ovi de afcombin'ation "anchor and discharge tool "where the explosive is connected to the' anchor portion of the tool ready for discharge so that the anchor portion Will resist the force or the explosiontending td'travel upwardly in the bore hole.

*Anijtlier object "of the invention is to 'provide an anchor a'ncl difscharge tool where theexplos'ive to be discharged is to be deposited in the tool' 'arid the force o'f explosion thereof directe'd br the tool iiitothe earth formation.

Another object of the invention i to 'provide a 2 drilling tool and plain end c' asing made -up of a plurality oieeccionsto be interfitt'edend =to end in the drilling of a seismic' e iiplosive'bore hol'e.

Another 1 object of the invention is to provide drilling-and shooting equipment, ih'cluding 'a-"sllp socket connection -f0'r drill rods, used in drilling seismic exploration bore holes.

Another object of the "invention *is to provide a weight-controlled method of discharging seismic explosive charges to obtain a 'r'riakimu madeflction of the earth.

Other "and further obj ects of the invention' will be readily apparent when the *following de- 'sfcripti o n is considered in connection with :the acoompanyingdrawirig wherein:

Fig, 1 isa vertical sectionaliview of a bore hole being drilled vith the particular" type ofdrill-"arid casing provided bythe invention.

Fig. 2 shows the same bore hol'e with "the "combination anchor and discharge tool landed in position ready for discharge of the explosive.

Fig. 3' i a vertical sectional view I thtodgh the anchor and discharge tool.

Fig. 4 shows a"modified form ofanchor and discharge tool which is particularly adapted'for shallow bores.

Figs-15 isas'eetionalview of an earth'f'ormati'on with the invention of -Fig53 in ose'and ill dstrating the manner of directing the deflections of the explosion downwardly into the earth.

*InFi-"g. l'a-well boreZ has'-loe'en-'-.drilledin'the earth 3 by means of adrill' bit "assembly l including a 'projectionifor drillinga 'smallbore'afi, generally'known as a rat hole,'-'ahead 'of the larger diameter bore 1. Bores such-as=thiswhich Fare deed to set-elf theexplo's ive in the==art (of seismic prospectingvary from :a fewieet to possibly fone hundred feet or more'in dpth and they-are drilled by rotat'ing the bit-4 by means of i a" string "of rods orp'ipe 8 Which are connectedi'by theslip joint in. *Any suitable source of' powermay be steam the'surface torotatethe rod or pipe' e'wso as to applyweight thereto and cail'se the-bio to advance into the" earth.

"In order 'to prevent the earth from cavinginto the here it is not unusual to provide a string-:of pipe or casing" I2 which willbe' positioned in the borehole. Itis desirable in'niany :instanhsto have this casing advanced into the-holeto prevent caving as the drillingprocee'ds and in the-present arrangement this course "is beingfollowed and it"will be noted that thelovverien'd '13 of the casing section 1-4 is opposite the bit-assemhl-y 4. -'-'1 he casing is usually ratherw'lightin weight- {OP-515125 a thin "wall which "may not -:be susceptible t-to threading in order to connect the section l of casing to the section I4. To accomplish this in the present procedure a, collar I6 is provided having a rib or flange l1 projecting from its outer periphery. This collar will fit snugly into the end of the casing section l4 and permit the pipe section IE to be positioned over the other edge of the collar. In this manner the pipe sections I4 and I5 are retained in alignment and held in position.

In order to cause the casing to advance downwardly with the drill bit a drive collar may be afiixed to the pipe or rod by means of a cross bolt or pin 2| and this collar carries a bushing 22 having the antifriction bearings 23 disposed between it and the collar 20. This bushing has a shoulder 24 to fit the upper end of the section of the casing and it seems obvious that as the drill rod and bit :are lowered the collar 20 will rotate therewith while the bushing 22 will remain non-rotatable with the casing but the downward pressure will tend to drive the casing down simultaneously with the drilling operation.

It will be noted that the body 4 of the drill bit assembly is of slightly less diameter than the inside of the collar l5 so that the drill bit may be removed therethrough. Any suitable number of sections of casing, l4, 15, etc. may be added as the drilling progresses by incorporating additional lengths of the drill pipe and additional lengths of casing.

After the drilling has been completed and preparations are made for setting off the exposion a combination anchor and discharge tool 25, best seen in side elevation in Fig. 2, will be lowered into the well bore by the string 8 of pipe or rods. What might be said to be a slip or toggle joint I 0 constitutes a squared shank 25 best seen at the top of Fig. 3 which fits into a non-circular opening 2! in the lower end of one of the rods and a connecting pin 23 is then passed through the parts to retain them in position. The string of pipe or rods 8 may have any desired number of these connections to obtain the necessary length.

r The tool 25 is best seen in section in Fig. 3 and includes a massive body which is preferably made of iron, steel or a suitable heavy material because it is intended that this body may have a weight of from five to ten thousand pounds so as to dispose its weight on top of the explosive cartridge 3|. The cartridge may be deposited in the rat hole 6 independently of the anchor member, but preferably the two are combined together to form a combination anchor and discharge tool wherein the explosive cartridge 3i is positioned against the base 32 of the anchor member and held in place by the retainer springs 33. The cartridge 3| is preferably made up of the explosive charge 34 held in position by a closure plug 35 and carried by a support plate 36. A suitable detonator 31 may be connected to the electric wires 38 which extend through the passage 39 and upwardly in the well bore to the surface where the circuit may be closed to initiate the detonation.

' This assembly will be lowered into the well bore and positioned as seen in Fig. 2 so that the weight not only of the drill rod or pipe 8, but also the weight of the anchor member 30 will be deposited directly upon the explosive charge 3!. With the parts in this position the explosive charge will be detonated so that the force of the explosion will be directed into the earth formation in the manner illustrated diagrammatically in Fig. 5 It seems obvious that the massive body 30 of the anchor tool will present a much greater resistance to the transmission of force upwardly through the well bore than will the face of the earth formations about the rat hole so that when the explosion occurs the greater inertia of the anchor member will tend to prevent the force of the explosion from being dissipated upwardly in the bore hole and will cause a maximum of deflection of the earth formations as indicated by the lines 40 of Fig. 5. In this manner greater deflections will be set up in the earth than could otherwise be obtained with the same or a larger charge of explosive so that the recordings will be more definite due to the fact that the Well bore has been sealed by the anchor member and efiective resistance to dissipation of the force of the explosion provided.

It is desirable to recover the casing l2 from the bore hole after the explosion has occurred and to this end suitable stops 4| may be carried by the anchor member in the form of blocks 42 deposited in the recesses 43 and normally urged outwardly by the springs 44. A stop pin 45 may be provided to limit the outward movement of the stops. In this manner when the tool passes below the lower end l3 of the casing as best seen in Fig. 5 the stops will snap outwardly and when the tool is lifted the casing will be lifted thereby and can be readily removed from the well bore.

It seems obvious that the mass of the weight 30 may be varied as desired depending upon the depth of the bore, the size of the exposive shot and upon other circumstances and conditions. In actual operation the device has been found to be exceptionally eflicient and results in improved recordings over those previously obtained where no anchor weight was utilized.

Very often shallow bore holes are utilized and Fig. 4 shows such a shallow bore as having been formed by forcing the combination anchor and i1 explosive tool 5| into earth 52. This tool may be rotated by a pipe or rod 53 having the connection It to the tool 5|.

The lower end of the tool 5| has a tapered bore 53' therein so that the lower edge 54 tends to penetrate the earth. This tapered opening 53 obvious that the weight or mass of the member 5 I will effectively direct the force waves or energy of the explosion outwardly and downwardly into the earth formation due to the great inertia thereof so that a sharp and efficient deflection of the earth is obtained.

In some instances the earth formation is rather hard and firm and difficulty might be encounteredin forcing the swaged drill 4 through sucha formation. In such a circumstance a conventional drill bit might be used to drill, say a four inch entire assembly can be hoisted into or out ofposition and rotation imparted thereto.

Broadly the invention contemplates a means and method of increasing the emciency of seismic explorations.

What is claimed is:

1. In drilling and shooting equipment for seismic prospecting including a drill rod, an explosion discharge tool secured to said drill rod and adapted to be lowered by said drill rod into a bore having a casing therein, said bore being provided with a drill hole at the base thereof, said tool comprising a massive body having an exterior diameter slightly less than the interior diameter of said casing, a cartridge mounted beneath said body, an explosive charge confined within said cartridge, means for detonating said charge, said cartridge being forced into the drill hole by said body whereby the force of the explosion of said charge will be directed downwardly into the earth due to the inertia of said body, and means disposed within recesses in said body and adapted to engage the casing so that said body and casing may be withdrawn from said bore by said drill rod.

2. In drilling and shooting equipment for seismic prospecting including a drill rod, an explosion discharge tool secured to the drill rod and adapted to be lowered by said drill rod into a bore having a casing therein, said bore being provided with a drill hole at the base thereof, said tool comprising a massive body having an exterior diameter slightly less than the interior diameter of said casing, a cartridge mounted beneath said body, said cartridge comprising a cylindrical member of lesser diameter than said body and secured to the lower face thereof, an explosive charge confined within said cylindrical member, said cartridge being forced into said drill hole by said body whereby the force of the explosion of said charge will be directed downwardly into the earth due to the inertia of said body, means for detonating said charge, and means carried by said body to engage said casing so that said body and easing may be withdrawn from said bore by said drill rod.

3. In drilling and shooting equipment for seismic prospecting including a drill rod, an explosion discharge tool secured to the drill rod and adapted to be lowered by said drill rod into a bore having a casing therein, said bore being provided with a drill hole at the base thereof, said tool comprising a massive body having an exterior diameter slightly less than the interior diameter of said casing, a cartridge mounted beneath said body, said cartridge comprising a cylindrical member of lesser diameter than said body and secured to the lower face thereof, an explosive charge confined within said cylindrical member, and means for detonating said charge, said cartridge being forced into said drill hole by said body whereby the force of the explosion will be directed downwardly into the earth due to the inertia of said body.

4. In drilling and shooting equipment for seismic prospecting including a drill rod, an

explosion discharge tool secured to the drill rod and adapted to be lowered by said rod into a bore having a casing therein, said bore being provided with a drill hole at the base thereof, said tool comprising a massive body having an exterior diameter slightly less than the interior diameter of said casing, a cartridge detachably secured to the lower face of said body, said cartridge comprising a cylindrical member of substantially the same diameter as said drill hole, an explosive charge confined within said cylindrical member, and means for detonating said charge, said cartridge being forced into said drill hole by said body whereby the force of the explosion will be directed downwardly into the earth due to the inertia of said body.

5. In drilling and shooting equipment for seismic prospecting including a drill rod, an explosion discharge tool secured to the drill rod and adapted to be lowered by said rod into a bore provided with a drill hole at the base thereof, said tool comprising a massive body having an exterior diameter slightly less than the interior diameter of said bore, a cartridge mounted beneath said body, said cartridge comprising a cylindrical member of substantially the same diameter as said drill hole, an explosive charge confined within said cylindrical member, and means for detonating said charge, said cartridge being forced into said drill hole by said body whereby the force of the explosion will be directed downwardly into the earth due to the inertia of said body.

WILLIAM ROSS STINNETT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Re. 19,093 Pfauser Feb. 27, 1934 114,616 Snell May 9, 1871 122,654 Roberts Jan. 9, 1872 314,585 Knox Mar. 31, 1885 1,188,485 Pruyn June 27, 1916 1,856,912 Grebe et a1 May 3, 1932 1,867,098 Rieber July 12, 1932 1,978,668 Burg Oct. 30, 1934 1,979,802 Kinley Nov. 6, 1934 1,997,312 Satre Apr. 9, 1935 2,203,140 Green June 4, 1940 2,203,272 Sparks June 4, 1940 2,229,493 Croft et al. Jan. 21, 1941 2,272,741 Failing Feb. 10, 1942 2,334,414 Klotz Nov. 16, 1943 2,336,586 Beckman et a1 Dec. 14, 1943 2,351,524 Lay et al June 13, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 367,858 Great Britain Feb. 26, 1932 

